


Music

by kafrickinboom



Series: Voltron WLW Month [17]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Explicit Language, F/F, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, Genderbending, It's just Lance and Shiro, K-pop References, Music, Shiro (Voltron) Needs a Hug, Songfic, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, VLD WLW Month, Voltron WLW Month 2017, everyone else is mentioned - Freeform, kind of?, literally one, pre-season 3
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-17
Updated: 2017-08-17
Packaged: 2018-12-16 11:18:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,412
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11827644
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kafrickinboom/pseuds/kafrickinboom
Summary: Her last thought before she goes to bed that night is that she’s thankful that music somehow, for some reason, brought them together.





	Music

**Author's Note:**

> I'm actually pretty happy with this lil fic. 
> 
> The songs referenced:  
> ["Boombayah" - Blackpink](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bwmSjveL3Lc)  
> ["As If It's Your Last" - Blackpink](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Amq-qlqbjYA)  
> ["Despacito" - Luis Fonsi ft. Daddy Yankee](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kJQP7kiw5Fk)  
> ["Medicine" - Daughter](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sf6mkYz4mx0)  
> ["Brighter Than Sunshine" - Aqualung](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bpDNfwIrx1M)
> 
> Language notes:  
> Dios - God  
> Maldición - a general curse, like "damn it"  
> Mierda - shit, but in this case, "holy shit"  
> Familia - family  
> Shirogane - silver

The first time Landa notices it, she’s dancing in the training room. Honestly, it’s pretty embarrassing being caught, but she honestly thought she would be alone at this hour. It’s not like she thought Shiro would be coming in to train at two in the morning. She usually spent her late-night hours in the observation deck. 

Don’t ask how Landa knows that.

Anyway, she’s listening to some K-pop song that makes Landa want to shake her ass for hours while it’s looped. She’s just saying, she does her best workouts to Blackpink’s “Boombayah” and “As If It’s Your Last.” She also doesn’t like being mortified in front of her friends, so she keeps her body and hip rolling, her booty shaking and her shoulder shaking to the wee hours. 

So when she turns to find Shiro gaping at her from less than ten feet away, red-faced and wide-eyed, she almost has a heart attack. Aside from Shiro’s (probably secondhand) embarrassment, she looks a lot more relaxed than she has in ages. Her shoulders don’t hold that usual tension that makes her look like she’s at attention 24/7. Her hands are loose rather than clenched into fists at her side. Her head is even tilted to the side a bit instead of the rigidly held perfect posture.

She doesn’t even have the chance to say anything before Shiro makes an about-face and retreats.

\---

The second time Landa catches it, she (again) thinks she’s alone, but this time she’s in the kitchen. She’s singing along in her native tongue to “Despacito” by Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee this time, swivelling her hips, dancing around, flitting from the the fridge to the cabinets to her plate as she makes herself a sandwich. 

She’s just thankful Pidge made modified chargers for all of their phones or else she’s pretty she would have died without her music. 

Anyway, when she’s done constructing the universe’s most delicious sandwich, turning to take it to her room, she almost drops her plate in surprise. (And shut up, she did  _ not _ shriek, regardless of what Shiro’s laughing eyes have to say about it!)

Shiro’s standing much closer than last time she caught Landa dancing. Confusingly, Shiro looks more relaxed now than she had earlier when they and the rest of the team were hanging out. You’d think that a movie night with their friends would mellow Shiro out more than watching Landa listen to foreign (to Shiro) music, but here they are. 

“Sh-Shiro! What are you up to this fine hour?” Landa asks, falsely confident as she observes Shiro’s face, free of the lines that usually make an appearance between her brows and at the sides of her mouth. Shiro honestly looks...young. Younger than she’s looked in months. It’s almost as if Landa’s dancing, or more likely the music itself, has stripped away years of age that’s settled into Shiro’s skin.

“Ah, well, I was just going to grab a midnight snack, but I see the kitchen is occupied,” Shiro smirks in the most adorable way, and Landa doesn’t know how her heart is going to take it.

Oh yeah, have you  _ seen _ Shiro? She’s just probably the most beautiful work of art roaming the entire universe with her tall, Amazonian physique and her long, silky hair with that damned chunk of snowy hair front and center like she’s Rogue or something. Landa’s fairly certain that God decided Shiro was going to end up being a Wonder Woman/Rogue mix from the very beginning, slaying hearts left and right. Don’t even mention the scar and the prosthetic arm. Landa’s pretty sure this is an 11 on the 1-10 inappropriateness scale, but she’s pretty positive she’s developed kinks for both of those things solely because Shiro looks like a stone cold betty with her new additions (not that Landa could ever admit that because she’s pretty sure it would only grant her one of Shiro’s patented [sexy] mom faces).

So yeah, add a smirk that brings out Shiro’s dimples and  _ Dios, _ Shiro’s going to be her ruin.

Flushing a color reminiscent of her Abuela’s famous shrimp creole (and now her sandwich doesn’t seem near up to snuff-  _ maldición), _ Landa shrugs. “You seem to like the music too, so shush.”

Shiro's smirk changes to a bitten lip and  _ yeah, _ Landa’s screwed. “You have very...interesting taste.”

Landa narrows her eyes, pointing at Shiro’s face with her plate as threateningly as she can in her bathrobe and under eye masks. “Hey! My taste is impeccable.”

Shiro raises her hands in mock surrender, a smile spreading on her face. “I’m sure it’s fun to dance to. It’s energetic and upbeat- like you.”

“You could always dance along with me instead of just watching,” Landa remarks, trying to tame her skyrocketing heart rate.  _ Really, what the hell is she thinking? _

Shiro raises a brow, the rest of her expression unreadable as she tilts her head in question, and Landa wonders what she sees to give her that look on her face. Maybe she just thinks Landa is a dumbass or something. She wouldn’t blame Shiro for that assessment. Even  _ she’s _ starting to think she’s a dumbass when the silence extends past comfort levels. She opens her mouth to just laugh it off when-

“Maybe next time,” Shiro says finally, taking half of Landa’s sandwich with a wink  _ (which...what?) _ before leaving the room, leaving Landa to sputter after her far too late to do anything but cry indignity to an empty room.

\---

The third time it happens, Landa is in the observation deck, reading some book about tarot cards that Keith had for some reason (she’d given up trying to figure him out ages ago), her phone quietly playing “Medicine” by Daughter on loop. It’s a slow, mellow song that always makes Landa just  _ feel _ a lot. She’s into it.

She’s so into learning about the Major Arcana and cups and wands and shit that she doesn’t notice Shiro standing there until her sixth sense or something makes the hair on the back of her neck stand up like it always does when she feels  _ watched. _

She turns slowly to watch her trespasser from her periphery only to whip around fully due to what she sees.

Shiro’s resting with her back against the doorway, slumped in a way that speaks of exhaustion or sadness (or both), her eyes closed, her brows pinched, her lips tugging down into a frown. The  _ worst _ part is the silent tears rolling down her face. Landa honestly doesn't know what to do with the sight before her. 

She knows Shiro cries. Not often, but she does. She tries her level best to keep it from the rest of the team, and for the most part, Landa’s pretty sure she succeeds. She knows the others just applaud Shiro for her endless strength, but Landa has seen the way she collapses like a puppeteer cutting her strings when she thinks no one else is looking. She’s seen the way Shiro’s face crumbles like the world’s saddest cookie right before turning away for the night. She’s seen the way Shiro walks around at night, unaware of Landa’s presence, her shoulders slouched forward like Atlas and the world has just gotten too heavy for her to carry around by herself. She’s caught the ghosts of tear tracks after certain missions, the slight puffiness and a tension in her eyes like she’s holding herself back from letting it out. Landa hates every single one of these instances.

She does know, however, that she can’t let Shiro walk away without  _ doing _ something, so she silently puts her book down, walking over to stand in front of Shiro whose jaw clenches when she gets close. She has to know Landa is there.

“Shiro…” Landa murmurs and Shiro’s eyes snap open, rending Landa’s heart. The quietly shed tears were bad enough, but now those dark eyes are flooded and glassy, heartbreaking in the most base of ways. Landa does the first thing that comes to mind, wordlessly opening her arms in invitation.

She breathes a sigh of relief when Shiro takes her up on the offer immediately, wrapping around her perhaps just a hair too tight (but Landa refuses to complain). She holds on just as tight, if only to try and tamp down on the shakiness rolling off of Shiro’s body. Landa can tell she’s still holding back, but she lets Shiro take what she needs from this embrace, swallowing thickly when Shiro buries her face in Landa’s neck. Immediately, Landa’s neck is wet with tears. When Shiro tries to pull back in apology, Landa latches on tighter.

“It’s  _ okay,” _ Landa promises. “You don’t have to hold back for my sake. A bit of a wet neck isn’t going to kill me.”

Shiro stands there stock still for exactly four seconds (Landa counted) before falling back into it. She’s still shaking like a leaf and when she breathes against Landa’s collarbone, it’s uneven and unsteady, but she holds on tight, her metal fingers gripping in tight to her shirt as her human set grips at the back of Landa’s head.

This is easily the most intimate, heartbreaking hug Landa has ever experienced, but she isn’t going to budge- not when Shiro so obviously needs this. She just wishes she knew what triggered this kind of incident.

As soon as the question of  _ what _ passes through her mind, the chords of the song still playing across the room filters through her mind. 

_ “Pick it up, pick it all up, and start again. You've got a second chance, you could go home. Escape it all. It's just irrelevant. It's just medicine. It's just medicine. You could still be what you want to, what you said you were when I met you.” _

And like that, the puzzle pieces all fall into place at once. 

This song has always hit Landa in the most abstract of ways. She’s never really experienced anything so painful or traumatic that she needed a ‘second chance,’ but she has enough emotional intelligence to feel sympathy for those who have. Shiro is a textbook example of someone who’s been through Some Shit™, and she’s 100% someone who needs reassurances about the fact that she’s still  _ her. _

Landa once overheard (purely on accident, of course) Shiro and Keith talking about how Shiro genuinely believes the Galra fucked her up, and not just physically. She apparently believes that she can’t possibly be the same Shiro she was before. On some level, Landa gets that. Your experiences shape and mold you.  _ But, _ Landa also definitely believes that Shiro is still  _ Shiro. _ She believes that no matter what the Galra did to her, it didn’t crack the foundation of who she is as a person. 

Shiro’s still a beautiful soul- caring, kind, warm, compassionate, a true beacon of hope and empathy, a leader with natural charisma and confidence. Literally nothing short of Winter Soldier-esque memory stripping could tear those traits away from her. 

When Landa had heard that Shiro didn’t believe that she could still be  _ her, _ Landa had almost cried then and there. (Shut it, Landa is an emotionally in-tune person beneath her confident veneer. She’s like Shrek. Layers and all that.)

_ Anyway, _ now Shiro is here, most likely crying about a song that hits a little too close to home and Landa just wants to scoop her up in Landa’s arms and hold her, telling her all the good things about herself until she believes them too. 

Landa doesn’t quite know what she’s doing when she starts singing lowly into Shiro’s ear, but she rolls with it.  _ “You've got a warm heart, you've got a beautiful brain. It’s  _ not _ disintegrating.” _

She purposefully changes that last line because she’s willing to bet Shiro actually believes her brain  _ is _ disintegrating from all the shit the enemy has done to her, and  _ that’s just unacceptable. _ Shiro must catch the change because her fingers tighten on Landa’s body to the point where Landa’s going to be checking herself for bruises later. Shiro’s breath shudders against her neck, but it feels like the tears have finally stopped, and now they’re just standing there in the low light of the observation deck, the only sound in the room the music overshadowed by Landa’s soft words and the whispers of Shiro’s breaths.

When Shiro eventually loosens herself from the grasp, she pulls away slowly, much slower than Landa had expected, like she didn’t  _ want _ to extricate herself from Landa’s arms. She doesn’t quite meet Landa’s eyes when she wipes the last remnants of her tears from her face, a weak chuckle escaping her lips as she apologizes.

_ “Don’t.” _ Landa says sharply, and Shiro's wide eyes jerk to hers, causing her tone to soften. “Please don’t ever apologize for this. I’m here for you.”

“I- Okay,” Shiro sighs, still looking uncomfortable. “Still, you shouldn’t have to see that.”

“Does anyone else see it?” 

“...No?”

“Then I’m more than willing to be that person. You can’t just bottle yourself up like always. I wasn’t kidding when I said I’m here for you.” Landa looked into Shiro’s eyes, noting her harsh swallow before she nodded. “Was it the song?”

“I, uh… Yeah,” Shiro huffed a weary laugh. “It just...slipped through my defenses, I guess.”

“That’s not always a bad thing, you know?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean,” Landa paused to collect her thoughts, “I mean, music makes us  _ feel. _ Sometimes good things, sometimes bad things, but the songs that touch you are the ones that you relate to, and I think it’s important to let yourself feel it  _ all. _ You can’t deflect feeling just because you don’t like it, you know, so you just let it wash over you and deal with the fallout.”

“I’m...still not quite sure I’m following,” Shiro admitted with a furrowed brow.

Landa sighed. “Okay, so this song had to have connected with you in some sense to get  _ that _ reaction.” She rushed to reassure Shiro when Shiro's cheeks flushed in embarrassment. “No, no! That’s good! If you don’t feel, if you don’t  _ allow _ yourself to feel, you’re making yourself into a robot, and the Shiro I know isn’t a machine.”

“I’m not entirely convinced I’m the Shiro you know.”

Landa heaved another sigh, this one tinged with frustration. “No, I  _ know _ you’re still the Shiro I know.  _ Dios mio, _ you haven’t changed much beyond becoming a little quieter, a little more cautious, and...okay, so you have signs of PTSD, but literally anyone who’s gone through trauma like you’ve gone through does, so…? I’m not faulting you for any of that. You’re still the Shiro with the dry sense of humor, who smiles at everyone she passes in the halls, who’s there for her friends more than she’s there for herself, who cares with her whole heart, who’s genuinely terrified of fucking up, who I admire because you’re so many things I  _ want _ to be. You don’t even realize how great you are because you’re convinced you’re not. I promise you you are.”

Shiro stands there, looking a bit shellshocked for a moment before smiling bashfully. “You think so?”

“I know so. I just wish you knew it too.” Landa says with a single, confident nod.

“I should get to bed. I’ll...think on what you said tonight,” Shiro says, squeezing Landa’s hand to emphasize her promise.

“Me too, actually. What time is it?” Landa says through a yawn, adamantly ignoring the electric thrill radiating from the point in which their hands meet. 

“It’s something like 3:30am. I’ll, uh, see you tomorrow.” Shiro says, turning to walk away only to stop a few feet away, turning her soft smile on Landa. “Oh, and...thank you.”

As Shiro walks away, Landa struggles to breathe properly.

\---

The fourth through- thirtieth? Fortieth?- times goes as follows: Landa plays some song that she, or she thinks Shiro, connects to. Shiro comes in and sits with her, sometimes relaxing into it, sometimes ending up in tears. They sit there in silence for a few minutes, letting the music work through them. They talk.

They  _ talk. _ Landa isn’t sure she’s heard Shiro say so many words at once  _ ever, _ and she’s the queen of pep talks! Shiro spills out more insecurities than Landa had ever previously attributed to her. Shit like the obvious- her scars (with an  _ s _ because apparently her body is riddled with them), her prosthetic (that Shiro thinks somehow taints her), her shock of white hair (which is apparently a daily reminder of the shit she’s gone through)- but also shit that honestly surprised Landa- Shiro seems to be under the impression that she’s  _ not _ a good leader, she has doubts about her heterosexuality (Landa internally cheers about that one, but keeps a straight [hah!] face for Shiro), she doubts she’ll ever be able to lead a ‘normal’ life even if-  _ after _ they beat the Galra, she doubts she’ll ever be in a relationship again, etc. Shit like that.

And of course Landa is there to talk her through it all. She always asks Shiro if she wants Landa’s opinion beforehand (because she’s learned not to throw it out there without permission the last time Pidge threw their shoe at the side of her head), and Shiro always says yes, so. She does.

She reminds Shiro that her changes in appearance don’t take away from her in the slightest (she’d flushed at Shiro’s playful,  _ “oh yeah?”), _ sputtering out a super gay spiel about how the scar across her nose looks badass and that any other scars would probably make just about anyone want to kiss them better, and that her hair is also fucking awesome (when she cites Rogue, Shiro laughs so hard her eyes crinkle at the sides. Landa counts that as a win). She even mentions that the arm is kind of hot, not that she can meet Shiro’s contemplative eyes after  _ that _ confession.

She tells Shiro it’s okay to be confused about her sexuality and that if she ever has questions, she has a slew of people to ask from. Seriously, they have the whole spectrum here- bi Landa, pan Hunk, gay Keith and ace/non-binary Pidge. It’s like God chose the queerest group of people and just went, “yeah, we want the gayest group on Earth to save the entire universe.” Allura and Coran and their straightness maybe balances it out? Who knows?

Anyway, she makes sure she constantly reminds Shiro that she’s still  _ her, _ and that everything she’s feeling is valid. One memorable hangout, Shiro had to be talked down from a panic attack, and was embarrassed afterward that Landa was there to see it. Landa scolded her for not telling anyone about the severity of her anxiety, and made her promise to message her on their datapads the next time it happens and Landa isn’t there to help her. 

Landa’s heart skips when Shiro interlaces their fingers, hesitantly acquiescing to Landa’s demand.

So it becomes their thing for  _ months. _ Music and conversation and hand-holding and just basking in being  _ present _ with one another, and Landa while doesn’t know what any of it means, she holds onto it with everything she has.

\---

After a particularly nasty fight with one of Zarkon’s robeast monster abomination  _ things, _ Shiro ends up in the cryo pod.

That adorable  _ idiot _ jumped in front of one hell of a powerful laser blast, probably saving Landa’s life, but at the expense of her own safety. Landa wants to kiss her and maybe punch her in the human arm for that stunt. It’s not that she doesn’t appreciate it. She very much prefers her organs in her body, and she happens to be a card-carrying fan of living and breathing. 

Still, it makes her nauseous seeing Shiro so  _ still. _ Okay, so this isn’t the last time she’s seen Shiro in this state, but it’s definitely been the first time since she fell-

Oh no. She actually  _ fell in love _ with Shiro. Before, it had been a crush. A massive crush, but a  _ crush _ nonetheless. She’d always loved Shiro as a teammate, as a friend, but...thinking about it now, those are still true, but the word “love” rings with a new tone, like those reasons to love Shiro were two parts of a major triad, and this last bit of truth rounded it out inside of her. 

It almost knocks the wind out her, this realization and she takes a moment to send thanks to  _ Dios _ that she’s alone in the medbay right now because she doesn’t even want to think about any of the others’ reactions to her collapsing in front of Shiro’s frozen body. Okay, so she might be dramatic, but this really does have the potential to fuck things up in a serious way. 

She and Shiro have slowly become best friends, almost completely on par with Landa’s friendship with Hunk, and that’s saying something considering she’s known him and he’s been her best friend for  _ years. _ She mentioned before that Shiro had been spilling out her worries and woes to Landa, but Landa never mentioned the fact that she’s been reciprocating wholeheartedly.

She talked about her own insecurities (in which Shiro vehemently opposed Landa’s ideas that she’s the weak link and that she’s  _ definitely _ expendable), about how she’s doomed to be Forever Alone™, about how she just wishes she knew what it was like to kiss someone outside of a stupid party game dare (she ignored the fluttering hope in her stomach when Shiro looked at her consideringly after that), about how she misses her  _ familia _ like crazy (she hasn’t mentioned that she wonders what they would think of Shiro [even though she  _ knows _ they’d love her]). They talked about  _ everything, _ from the basics like their favorite foods and colors and whatnot to silly things like fuck-marry-kill games and embarrassing stories from their childhood to more serious topics like philosophy and life and death and reincarnation. 

The point is that they’ve grown very,  _ very _ close over these last few months. Landa’s usually so aware of her feelings that the fact that this slaps her in the face is surprising in itself. This simultaneously feels like the realization came out of left field and like it’s also been in front of her face this whole time and she’s just now focusing on it. She feels like a fucking idiot, honestly.

She sighs, resting her forehead on Shiro's pod, closing her eyes as she sends a prayer up to  _ Dios _ that Shiro makes a speedy recovery  _ (it’s already been three days!!!, _ she mentally shouts). 

Maybe  _ Dios _ is feeling super benevolent right now or something because suddenly Shiro’s pod hisses open, and it’s Landa’s quick reflexes that has her up and catching Shiro as she falls out. 

_ ¡Mierda! _ Shiro is freaking  _ heavy. _ Not that that’s surprising considering the sheer muscle mass and towering height, but  _ damn, _ does it not help with Landa’s super pure line of thought. (She may or may not be wondering what it would be like to be truly pinned under all this weight, and she takes another moment to thank  _ Dios, _ this time for not having a dick because  _ wow, _ she would be obvious otherwise).

“Ihehvuhsungfryu,” Shiro mumbles and Landa laughs into Shiro’s shoulder as she slowly regains full consciousness.

“What was that? I don’t speak jibberish,” Landa teases, and Shiro pokes her fingers into Landa’s ribs, making her squeak. “Cut it out or I’m giving you the same treatment.”

“Okay, okay,” Shiro slurs. She’s always been a bit slow to recover from cryo pod healing, especially multi-day stints like the one she just went through. She stays silent for a moment as she collects herself, still clinging to Landa’s shoulders as she enunciates. “Anyway, I said I have a song for you.”

Landa perks up at that. A solid 100% of the songs thus far have been Landa’s choices. She’s offered to let Shiro pick, but Shiro always took that as permission to choose from  _ Landa’s _ playlist rather than anything from her own. It’s not like Landa minds listening to her music, but she’s always wondered what Shiro listens to on her own.

“Oh, really? What song is that?” She smiles up at Shiro, who returns it in kind. Landa recognizes the skip in her heartbeat and promptly ignores it. Again.

“I’ll play it for you later. For now, I really need something in my stomach. How long was I out?” Shiro looks around like the walls will somehow give her the answer she seeks.

The smile falls from Landa’s face. “Three days,” she says seriously, and Shiro's brows pinch at the severity in Landa’s tone.

“What’s wrong?”

“I just...missed you, I guess,” Landa shrugs, looking off to the side while she tries to will away the creeping blush on her cheeks.

Shiro chuckles, leaning back, gingerly taking her hands from Landa’s shoulders as she finds her center of gravity. When she’s convinced she’s not going to fall over, she walks toward the kitchen, throwing back, “you’re so cute. I’m back now. No reason to be so glum.” 

Landa gapes after Shiro’s swinging hips for a moment before her mind catches up with what she said.  _ Cute?! _

\---

Later that night, Landa meets Shiro out on the observation deck where they usually chill. When she gets there, she stops short. She didn’t know Shiro had  _ those _ hidden in her closet.

When they’re not suited up for battle, Shiro usually wears baggier clothes built for comfort and movement, usually some variation of sweats and a cutoff shirt. Tonight, though, she’s wearing  _ leggings. _ (If you know Landa, you know one of her weaknesses is a pretty girl in skintight leggings, okay?) She’s rocking a sleeveless hoodie and socks.  _ Socks. _ The woman known for wearing boots (or rarely, slippers) at all hours of the day is wearing socks, and for some reason it throws Landa for a loop. That’s not even mentioning Shiro’s long, black-and-white hair falling down over her shoulders and back in gentle waves when 99% of the time, it’s tied up in a high ponytail or practical bun.

She looks down at herself, runs her fingers through her own ponytail, wondering if she should have dressed differently somehow. It’s not like Shiro’s dressed up or anything, but the shift in attire feels like something bigger than it probably is. Leave it to Landa to overthink things.

She sneaks up behind Shiro, poking into her sides (and marveling at the density of her muscles because  _ damn). _ Shiro jumps in surprise and turns gracefully with a small smile. (Landa’s feels a rush of pride at Shiro’s almost non-reaction. They’ve come a long way since jumpy, jittery Shiro.)

“So, what’s this song you’ve got for me?” Landa asks in a burst, bouncing on the balls of her feet in excitement. She should probably tone it down before Shiro gets suspicious, but she can’t seem to help it. This is another one of those things that feels bigger than it probably is. Whatever. She’ll just roll with it.

Shiro bites her lip on a bashful smile. She takes a deep breath before asking, “can I cash in on that dance now?”

Landa’s brows furrow for a second before the memories of that night in the kitchen when Shiro had caught her shaking her ass. She blushes, wide-eyed, as she says, “y-yeah, sure. There wasn’t an expiry date on that offer, so…” She trails off, swallowing thickly, confused about what the hell is going on.

Shiro takes a moment to press play before reaching out her hands to Landa, who meets her halfway. Shiro pulls her in close, closer than Landa would have allowed herself without Shiro’s guidance, wrapping her metal arm around Landa’s waist, bringing Landa’s right hand up to hold Shiro’s left.

_ “I never understood before. I never knew what love was for. My heart was broke my head was sore- What a feeling.” _

Landa’s eyes, which had been trained somewhere around the hollow of Shiro’s throat, snapped up to Shiro’s.

_ “Caught up in ancient history. I didn't believe in destiny. I look up you're standing next to me- What a feeling.” _

Landa’s lips pop open, hope and confusion and joy and suspicion battling for dominance in her eyes.

_ “What a feeling in my soul. Love burns brighter than sunshine- It's brighter than sunshine. Let the rain fall I don't care. I'm yours and suddenly you're mine- Suddenly you're mine, and it's brighter than sunshine.” _

Landa attempts to strangle the hope working up to lodge in her throat. This  _ has _ to be some sort of confession, right? Why else would Shiro play  _ this _ song of all songs? Why else would she ask Landa to dance to  _ this _ song if there wasn’t any point to it? Why else would she be smiling like Landa hung each and every star in this corner of the universe if it meant nothing? Why else would she be singing-  _ Oh. _ She’s  _ singing. _

_ “I never saw it happenin’. I’d given up and given in. I just couldn’t take the hurt again- What a feeling. I didn’t have the strength to fight, but suddenly it seemed so right. Me and you- What a feeling.” _

Landa felt like crying. What the hell.  _ She _ was supposed to be the romantic little shit of the group, and suddenly here comes Shiro, slashing through each and every last vestige of Landa’s defenses with each line, with each note, with each sweet, little, overwhelmed warble. As Shiro works through the chorus, Landa feels herself begin to shake. She honestly, honestly,  _ honestly _ didn’t thinks he could have this. She wasn’t kidding when she said that she genuinely thought she might end up Forever Alone™, and she knows that Shiro was very much not kidding about never being able to be with someone ever again, and yet. And  _ yet, _ here they are, swaying to Aqualung in this bubble of intimacy that Landa wants to desperately cling to until the end of time.

_ “Love will remain a mystery, but give me your hand and you will see. Your heart is keeping time with me.” _ Shiro sings, hope and fear lining her eyes as they bore into Landa’s. She lets the chorus play in the background as she continues, “I hope I’ve made myself pretty clear here.”

“Yeah, I-I’d say so,” Landa says breathlessly as her gaze falls to Shiro’s lips. 

“So, ah… D-do you maybe, uhm, want to-”

_ Dios, _ Landa’s too impatient for Shiro’s adorable sputtering. She tilts her head up, raising up on the balls of her feet those last couple of inches to press a gentle, hesitant kiss to Shiro’s lips (just in case Shiro reacted negatively). Landa isn’t even sure why that last thought passed through her mind because suddenly Shiro’s falling into it, her hands abandoning their dance pose positions to curl themselves around the sides of Landa’s neck, tilting her head just so. The new position sets off fireworks behind Landa’s eyes so bright she slams her eyes against it. She loses herself to the feeling of the first kiss that actually matters. Belatedly, she realizes the breathy whimpering is spilling from her own lips, but she can’t find the wherewithal to care when Shiro responds by attacking her mouth with fervor. 

Landa feels dizzy with it, disoriented in the absolute best way as Shiro takes her apart with teeth and tongue and lips, and  _ fuck, _ she wants them on a horizontal surface  _ ASAP. _

That thought alone makes her pull back just a bit though. They’re literally brand spankin’ new. Landa wants to do  _ so many things _ to and with Shiro, but she thinks they should probably take it a bit slower. You know, to build up anticipation. She says so between gasps and Shiro’s chased pecks.

Shiro eventually pulls back enough to rest her forehead against Landa’s, and Landa brings her hands up to cup Shiro’s wrists, just reveling in the proximity, in the fact that she’s allowed to do this now, in the fact that Shiro’s  _ hers, _ that  _ she’s Shiro’s. _ She feels radiant just being here with this beautiful woman who deserves the entire universe handed to her on a silver (hah!  _ Shirogane) _ platter.

She fully intends on doing her best to give that to her.

\---

Her last thought before she goes to bed that night is that she’s thankful that music somehow, for some reason, brought them together. 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! ^^ Kudos and comments are much appreciated <3
> 
> Next up: f!Lance x Pidge, "Confession"


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